Teen Girl Injured in Late-Night Boat Crash at Holland's South Pier, Authorities Investigating Cause

A teenaged girl suffered serious injuries after a boat she was aboard crashed into Holland's South Pier yesterday, authorities report. Ottawa County Deputies confirm to WZZM 13 that the incident happened at approximately 10:15 p.m., involving a 26-foot boat operated by a 69-year-old Holland man, carrying three passengers — women aged 18, 19, and 22 — at the time of the crash.

The vessel collided with the South Pier head, according to officers, which resulted in the 18-year-old being flung into the rocky waters of Lake Macatawa channel side of the pier, the boat, owned by the elder man, was 75 yards east of a navigational beacon which, deputies say, was operational. FOX 17 News reports that the navigational beacon was indeed functioning at the time of the accident, investigators are now working to piece together the cause.

Following the collision, the teen was assisted back onto the boat by another passenger and subsequently rushed to a hospital with injuries deemed severe but not life-threatening. Responders from Park Township Fire Department and Ottawa County Sheriff's Deputies arrived on the scene to assist with the emergency. At the hospital, the injured parties were evaluated for the extent of their afflictions, according to the Holland Sentinel.

The 69-year-old driver also endured injuries in the crash, and while details of his condition have not been widely disclosed, it is known that he, along with the 18-year-old, received immediate medical attention, the other two passengers escaped the incident unscathed. Although the authorities are in the midst of ascertaining what precisely spurred the late-night maritime mishap, they have not yet released any speculations or preliminary findings to the public.